Page 3772 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 29 October 2014

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ACT Policing—tasers

Debate resumed.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9

Noes 8

Mr Barr

Ms Gallagher

Mr Coe

Ms Lawder

Ms Berry

Mr Gentleman

Mr Doszpot

Mr Smyth

Dr Bourke

Ms Porter

Mrs Dunne

Mr Wall

Ms Burch

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Hanson

Mr Corbell

Mrs Jones

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (3.34): I thank members for their contributions, some perhaps more than others. When examining some of the debate today it is important to be pretty clear what the positions of the parties are. It is clear what Mr Rattenbury wants. His position is that he is quite resistant to tasers. He has moved motions in this place before. The debate in this place makes it pretty clear that he wants the issuing of tasers to be a political decision. In fact, he previously moved, as I recall, that this should be a decision of the Assembly.

Mr Corbell has made it pretty clear that he wants this to be a decision that he is going to essentially make himself. He will wait, I guess, for the Chief Police Officer to come to him and give the thumbs up or the thumbs down. But the reality is that the Chief Police Officer should be given the green light to make operational decisions. I go to some quotes from Mr Corbell previously in the Assembly:

It is important to stress to the Assembly again that decisions to employ operational police tactics and capabilities and any amendment to operational policies are fundamentally decisions that lie within the purview and the discretion of the AFP Commissioner.

I will quote also from Mr Corbell in answer to a question asked by Ms Le Couteur in the last Assembly:

Further, I would put to the Assembly very strongly that, if there is an alternative use of force option available to police that does not involve the use of a firearm, that surely is a positive development for community safety. That is certainly the view that the government takes.

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